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Wine Gift Set – Francone Barolo DOCG 2018 in Wooden Gift Box

Wine Gift Set – Francone Barolo DOCG 2018 in Wooden Gift Box

£45.40

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Winemaker

Geographical Indication

Grape

Vintage

2016

ABV

14.5%

Award-winning Barolo from cru vineyards in La Morra and Monforte. Dried raspberries, violets, cinnamon and dark chocolate

This Francone Barolo is well-balanced and just delicious to drink. I’d call its flavour “classic” – not an experimental dark Barolo, or made using a fancy new technique. This wine has won the prestigious Decanter Silver medal, one of the best endorsements for high quality and taste. It is definitely one of my favourites.

This Barolo is made from grapes grown in two cru (MGA) vineyards in La Morra and Monforte d’Alba, which explains its style. Monforte has sandy soil formed in the Tortonian age, producing powerful wines with lots of structure. The soils in La Morra have a higher content of blue-grey marl and clay. They can absorb more water, and are known to produce more fruity and elegant wines that can be enjoyed earlier. This Barolo sits in the middle and combines the characteristic qualities of both areas.

My  in-depth guide to Barolo offers more information about how soil type can affect the flavour of the wine.

This 2016 Francone Barolo is presented in an exclusive, sustainably sourced wooden gift box. It’s stamped with the Independent Wine insignia, in contrasting red, and closes with a metal latch.

The price includes the wine and the gift box.

 

Winemaking

Vineyards: Bricco Chiesa MGA, La Morra, 260 metres above sea level; Ravera di Monforte MGA, Monforte d’Alba, 400 metres above sea level.

Grapes are harvested by hand in the first week of October, when they are perfectly ripe. After crushing, grapes undergo fermentation for 22 days in stainless steel vats, at a controlled temperature between 24-28°C. For the first 16 days, the wine is fermented on grape skins to extract flavours and tannins. Then, the skins are removed, and the wine continues fermentation for another six days.

Following malolactic fermentation, the wine is transferred to French oak barrels for refinement. It stays here for 30 months – much longer than the 18 months required by the disciplinare. By using medium-sized oak barrels of 700 litre and 1200 litre, Francone is able to introduce visible hints of oak, without overpowering the natural flavour of the grape. Finally, the wine is bottled and stored in the cellar for at least six months, where the flavours finish integrating and developing.

One very important thing is that Francone Barolo has an incredibly low level of sulphites: about 39 mg /l of SO2.

Tasting notes

In the glass, this Barolo has a medium garnet colour. It offers flavours of dried violet flowers, dried raspberry and dark fruits – think of cherry and blackberry. The flavours from oak are quite delicate, because the wine was aged in large second-use oak barrels. Expect hints of cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of dark chocolate. The wine is dry and full-bodied. It’s still rather young, so do expect a high level of tannins, but they are balanced and the wine is already quite drinkable.

Ageing potential

20 years

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 – Silver Medal (2016 vintage) | The Wine Hunter – “Rosso” (2016 vintage) | The Wine Enthusiast – 90/100 points

SKU: WG-FRA-BAR
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